The movie Dolphin Tale 2, which releases tomorrow, is a secular story. You won’t find preachers laying hands on injured dolphins or anyone discovering eternal salvation. But despite the fact that bottlenose dolphins don’t pray here (as far as we know), a surprisingly spiritual undercurrent buoys this movie.
The makers of Dolphin Tale 2 have been actively courting faith-centric moviegoers. The Tampa Bay Times noted that 15 Christian outlets attended a press event last year—outlets described by Grace Hill Media’s Gary Schneeberger as “the largest, most influential Christian press in the country.”
I represented Plugged in, and I had a chance to listen to many of the movie’s key actors (minus the dolphin ones, of course). And even though we were obviously a faith-based crowd, I was surprised at how often many of these stars, and even officials for Clearwater Marine Aquarium (where the film takes place), mentioned how important God was to them—and how fun it was to be a part of such a family-friendly (if not explicitly Christian) movie.
“My job is to not screw up what God’s doing [here],” David Yates, the real-life CEO for Clearwater Marine Aquarium, told us.
Yates repeatedly referenced his own faith as he talked about his work—particularly in reference to Winter, the dolphin with the prosthetic tail that is the focal point for both Dolphin Tale movies. He thinks that there’s a certain divine purpose behind Winter’s story.
“It’s amazing how God can use a little dolphin like this to change thousands of lives,” Yates said. And when another tiny dolphin required rescue the night of the Dolphin Tale wrap party, Yates thought to himself, “God just gave me a sequel.” Indeed, that rescue became an important element in the new film.
Bethany Hamilton, the inspiration for the movie Soul Surfer, played herself in the film, getting a chance to swim with Winter and augmenting the dolphin’s inspirational story with her own. (Bethany’s arm was bitten off by a tiger shark when she was 14.) Newly married at the time of the shoot, she was eager to “see what God has for us.”
“Best decision I made in my life, I made when I was 5 years old,” Hamilton said, referencing the age when she became a Christian. And now that she’s a little older, she says, “I try to live a life that honors [God].”
Cozi Zuelsdorff—who plays the cheerful, feisty daughter of the aquarium’s CEO in the Dolphin Tale movies—calls Hamilton her “inspiration.” But an even bigger one appears to be her faith. “I like the mystery of not knowing what God’s going to use me for,” she said, and talked about what an impact the devotional Jesus Calling has had in her life.
Zuelsdorff is also mindful of how the entertainment industry isn’t the easiest place to be—and stay—a Christian. But she told us that there’s no question what comes first in her life.
“Christ always needs to be at the center of what I do,” she said. And when she was asked directly how she would react if she felt making movies was hurting her beliefs, she was emphatic.
“If I got to the point where I couldn’t put God first in my life, I would get out of this business as fast as I could,” she said.
Nathan Gamble, who plays Winter’s best (human) friend Sawyer, agreed that the entertainment industry can be a difficult place to be a Christian. “Living in Hollywood, your faith is always going to be tested,” he said. And he cautions that everyone, no matter what they do or where they live, will fail at times. But he says that his relationship with God has actually grown in recent years.
When pressed to talk about what sort of spiritual message Dolphin Tale 2 might be giving to his readers, Gamble said simply, “That God has your back. Which He does.”
No one ever says as much in the movie, though we do see times when characters must step outside their own strength and simply trust. Sometimes, the gentle hand of serendipity seems to rest upon these characters’ shoulders, only to be pulled away. But even in the midst of that, there’s a sense that no matter what happens, things will work out. Perhaps not ideally or the way anyone planned, but still, there’s a purpose behind it all.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them,” Paul says in Romans 8:28. If there is an underlying verse in play for Dolphin Tale 2, this would be it. And it seems as though many in the cast and crew adhere to this verse in their own lives as well.
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